Veterinary Q&A: Bearded dragon lizards

A reader recently sent us a question about bearded dragon lizards: "I originally gave him to my son for his 9th birthday. He recently turned 22 and graduated from college. The first book I got on the species said they lived about 5 years. He/or she is now 13 years old. How much longer do you think I will have to take care of this beast? By the way, I don't like reptiles."

Dr. Nickol Finch, head of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine's exotic-animal section, says she has heard personally of bearded dragons living up to 16 years. One report online says they can reach 20 years of age, but this would be exceptional. For people who dislike any pet, the best solution is rehoming, according to Finch. In this case, she says it would be somewhat easy to place this lizard.

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Do you have a question about pet health? Ask now! We'll pose some of your questions to a local vet in an upcoming post.